plan B joy

With a return sail from the Hobart to Sydney race dashed, our holiday plans were suddenly upended. Rather than languish in disappointment we started to make alternate plans. With the pull of friends and yoga, India was an early front runner until doing the math of the long haul flights. And while family in the US is always tempting, snow had been falling and temperatures were beyond chilly in the Midwest. Would Hobart still pull us south? Perhaps cheering the winners across the line, meeting with friends, taking in the fireworks from a new perspective and finding another yacht for a delivery back home would be the favoured route. Everything seemed plausible and I researched a rather ridiculous number of travel options before landing on Kiwi gold. Why not travel to New Zealand for a surprise visit with Richard’s Mum?

Over the next two days we booked boats, ferries, rooms, car services and puddle jumpers to make the plan stick. Along the way unexpected doctors appeared, kidnapping plans were abandoned, wet weather settled in, flights were missed and rooms that were cancelled were rather frantically rebooked. Each step of the way we reacted with changed plans, dates and directions. The only constant was our desire to hit the shores of NZ and see the lovely Miss Mary. And in the end? Well, it was simply perfect. A missed flight lead to a spontaneous dinner with great friends; spending time with Richard’s Mum was divine and full of good food and greater laughter; and we even found our way tramping and camping along the newly dried Abel Tasman trek.

If we move through life believing that things will unfold as we expect, we’re sure to be proven wrong. And we might just miss a bit of magic along the way. Having a healthy level of ‘going with the flow’ and exhibiting resilience to change feel like powerful reminders as we move into another new year. As a wise friend has suggested, problematunity can be a great approach to life! So if the path you’re following takes a sudden detour, perhaps just let it unfold and see where it leads. Chances are, you’ll be met with JOY.